“Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth;
shall you not know it?” — Isaiah 43:19

Several years ago, I heard a statement that I haven’t been able to let go of: “The biggest stumbling block to the next thing God wants to do in your life may be the last thing God did in your life.”

At first, it felt a little off. Almost uncomfortable. Because how could something God led us into—something He clearly blessed—ever become a stumbling block?

But over time, I’ve realized it’s not that what God did was ever wrong. It’s that we sometimes don’t recognize when the season has changed. There is something in us that wants to build our lives around the places where God last moved in a powerful way.

And in many ways, that makes sense. Those are sacred places. They’re the seasons where we saw Him clearly, where we felt purpose, where things made sense.

So we settle there.

Not out of rebellion…but out of gratitude, out of familiarity, out of a quiet desire to stay where it felt meaningful.

But remembrance was never meant to become residence.

You see this pattern all throughout Scripture.

God called Abraham to leave what was familiar—to step out from everything he knew into something he couldn’t yet see. And then He kept moving him. There was never a place where Abraham was meant to stop and say, “This is it. I’ve arrived.”

The Israelites experienced this too. God delivered them from Egypt with unmistakable power. And yet, even after witnessing His provision, there were moments they wanted to go back—not because Egypt was good, but because it was known. The wilderness felt uncertain, and the Promised Land required trust.

Even the disciples walked through this tension. They followed Jesus in a very real, physical way—learning from Him, walking with Him, watching Him. And then suddenly, everything shifted. The cross, the resurrection, the ascension. The way they had known Him changed completely. They couldn’t hold onto what was… because God was doing something greater through what was coming next.

God has always been a God who leads forward.

Not away from Himself—but deeper into Himself.

And if we’re honest, this is where it gets a little uncomfortable.

Because we don’t usually resist God by saying, “No.” We resist Him by holding tightly to what He already gave.

We attach identity to a role.
We anchor purpose in a season.
We begin to measure faithfulness by consistency in what we’ve always done…instead of sensitivity to what He may be asking now.

Isaiah 43 is spoken to a people who had a long history of God’s faithfulness. They knew what He had done. They could point to it, recount it, even define Him by it.

And right in the middle of that, God says “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing…”

That doesn’t mean forgetting His faithfulness.

It means don’t become so anchored to it that you miss His present movement.

Because sometimes the “new thing” doesn’t look like the last thing.

It may feel quieter.
Less defined.
Less visible.

Sometimes it feels like a step back… or even a loss.

And that’s where the deeper struggle comes in.

It’s one thing to step into something new when we’re excited about it. It’s another thing entirely to release something that once felt like a clear calling.

There’s a real tension there. Because you find yourself asking, “Lord, if You were in that…why would You move me from it?”

And the answer isn’t always immediate. But one thing remains true: God’s presence in a past season confirms His faithfulness—not your assignment there forever.

Sometimes what was once obedience…becomes comfort.

And sometimes what feels like loss…is actually invitation.

An invitation to trust Him again. Not based on what He has done—but based on who He is.

So, the question gently shifts. Not “Was God in that season?” But “Am I still following Him in this one?”

Because it is possible to stay where God once called you…and miss where He is currently leading you. That doesn’t mean we move quickly or carelessly. It means we hold everything with open hands.

Even the meaningful things.
Even the fruitful things.
Even the things that once felt like the very center of God’s will.

Because the goal was never the place. It was always Him.

And throughout Scripture, the ones who walked most closely with God were not the ones who stayed where He last worked…but the ones who were willing to follow when He moved.

Your Heart Sister,
Mikki 💜

Don’t hold so tightly to what God did, that you lose your sensitivity to what He is doing

Lord, thank You for every season where You have been faithful, where You have led us, and where we have seen Your hand so clearly. Help us to remember those moments without clinging to them more than we cling to You. Give us a heart that is willing to follow You forward, even when it means letting go of something that once felt certain. Keep us sensitive to Your voice and teach us to trust You not just in what You’ve done—but in what You are doing right now. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.